


A Thoroughly Tangled Phantom

by inukagome15



Series: A Tangled Phantom [2]
Category: Danny Phantom, Tangled (2010)
Genre: Drama, F/M, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2013-12-08
Packaged: 2018-01-04 00:50:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1075108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inukagome15/pseuds/inukagome15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Danny finds himself irrevocably tangled up in the destinies of Rapunzel and Eugene Fitzherbert, and guardian of another world to boot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

_Then he was in a dark room filled with clocks and a large viewing screen._

Danny had to blink to reorient himself. When he realized where he was, and that he was alone, he did a slow three-sixty, doing his best not to think about what Clockwork would say when he found him here.

Oh, who was he kidding? Clockwork undoubtedly already knew he was here! In fact, he’d probably brought him here. But why wasn’t Sam here as well? They’d both interfered in the _Tangled_ universe!

Danny approached the viewing screen that sat at one end of the room. It was swirling green, though as he approached it, the green clouds dispersed to show a familiar town. He exhaled in relief upon seeing that Amity Park was still in one piece, and that his family and friends appeared to be all right.

The image froze as green clouds seemed to form in the middle of the street. A light bulb went off in Danny’s head; so he and Sam were to arrive at that point?

“If Sam isn’t here, then why am I?” he muttered half to himself and half to the ghost who he knew would be listening, if not just because he was the ghost of time. “Is it because life just hates me that way?”

There was a flutter from a cloak behind him, and Danny shifted, turning around to directly face the adult form of Clockwork. “Let me guess – are you going to tell me I shouldn’t have interfered and dump me back there to fix it?”

“If there had been any problem, you would not have been able to succeed,” Clockwork said, smiling enigmatically. “The world was, after all, a fictional universe until your friend wished for its existence.”

“Wait…so Sam’s its mother?” Danny blinked. “That is so weird…”

“She has only one world,” Clockwork said, shifting into an old man. He nodded towards the viewing screen. “That of Amity Park, your home.”

He had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t going to be the same case for him at all. “And what about me?”

“You are a half-ghost, Danny Phantom,” Clockwork said, confirming Danny’s suspicions. “You are of two worlds, but because you are also half-human, to which world you can belong to is malleable. By interfering in the world of _Tangled_ , you have become bound to it.”

Danny took a breath, a bad feeling sinking into the pit of his stomach. “‘Bound to it’… Why do I have the feeling that I’m not gonna like what you have to say about this at all?”

“Your home is still Amity Park,” Clockwork said, knowing where Danny’s thoughts were taking him. “Simply consider it as there having been an addition made.”

“What does this addition mean?” Danny asked warily. “I already have a load on my back from taking care of _my_ problems at home. How am I supposed to help out a whole different _universe_? _Alone_?” Because he didn’t think Sam was included in this at all, even though it had been her wish that had landed him in this problem in the first place. If she was involved, then she would be here. But she wasn’t, which meant that this fell onto Danny’s shoulders alone.

Clockwork gave a small smile, morphing into a child. “Have faith in yourself. What will happen will happen.”

“So I’m supposed to expect to be popping back and forth between two worlds? Like I’m just walking down the street and suddenly I’m in the castle and Pascal is staring at me?”

“Nothing so simple,” Clockwork disagreed, relieving Danny. “You will find out.”

“Is this one of those things where I’m just expected to sink or swim?” Danny asked, folding his arms across his chest and raising an unimpressed eyebrow. “Because I’m not cool with that, just so you know.”

“I know,” Clockwork said simply, frustrating Danny.

“Was that all?” Danny said, exhaling gustily.

“Just one more thing,” Clockwork said, shifting to an adult. “Good luck.”

Danny’s eyebrows flew up as he digested that statement. Before he could say anything on it, though, Clockwork had pressed a dial on his staff and he was gone, reappearing in green mist next to Sam, who had no idea what he had just been told.

How was he going to explain _this_?

* * *

**12:00 that night**

Sighing tiredly, Danny flopped down his bed, massaging the bridge of his nose. He had yet to change out of the clothes Sam had bought (stolen) for him in the _Tangled_ universe.

Truth be told, he was too tired at the moment to bother.

That, and his head was still spinning from the adventure he had had scant hours before with Sam. He’d just finished recounting the main details with his family and Tucker, and then spent over an hour explaining to Sam what Clockwork had told him. His family could wait on that front. She’d been the one to share the experience with him, and as such should first learn what her boyfriend had gotten into.

_Flashback:_

**“Is something wrong, Danny?” Sam asked worriedly after he’d pulled the two of them aside to talk privately in the kitchen of the Fenton household.**

**“Not as such, no,” Danny said, wondering how he was going to phrase this. Then, with all the attitude of a sixteen-year-old boy, he decided to dive head first into it. “I didn’t come straight back here after Tucker made that wish. I ended up at Clockwork’s.”**

**Sam furrowed her brow. “Why wasn’t I there? I wasn’t, was I?”**

**“You weren’t. Best as I can understand, it has something to do with me being half-ghost. Clockwork was cryptic on that front.” Danny smiled wryly. “But he was cryptic on everything else as well. He told me I’m bound to that universe now, since you made it real with that wish.”**

**“ _Bound_?” Sam sounded alarmed.**

**“I don’t get it myself,” Danny said. “I think I’ll be going back there. I’m not sure how, and Clockwork wasn’t telling me either. He made it sound like _Tangled_ is my responsibility now, just like Amity Park is.”**

**“But it’s a whole different universe. How is that possible? We only ended up there because of Desiree!”**

**“Because we interfered,” Danny said, smiling self-deprecatingly. “Since you’re ‘just a human’ “—he used quotation marks—“you just belong here. But because I’m _half_ -ghost, I belong to two worlds, and that can be changed because my other half is human, and we’re so _adaptable_.” He raised his voice on the last word. “And that’s my guess on why my other world is the _Tangled_ universe now.”**

**Sam bit her lip, reading in-between the lines into what Danny wasn’t saying. “I’m sorry, Danny.”**

**‘What for?” Danny gave a small shrug. “It’s not your fault.”**

**“I made that wish in the first place,” Sam said. “It was _my_ idea to interfere. If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have to deal with this extra responsibility.”**

**“Hey, I’m just as culpable as you since I went along with it,” Danny disagreed, taking her hand and squeezing it lightly. “I could have said no at any point, but I didn’t. I enjoyed it just as much as you did. And, hey”—he lifted one shoulder in a shrug—“at least I’ll get to see them again. I’ll tell them you said hi.”**

**“And that’s why I’m jealous,” Sam said, sighing. “You get to go back, while I’m stuck here.”**

**“If I belong to two worlds, I think I might be able to figure out how to take other people with me,” Danny said. “And when I do, you’ll be the first to know.”**

**“Thanks, Danny.” Sam smiled at him, squeezing his hand as well. “Are you going to tell your folks? And Tucker?”**

**“I figured you should know first, since we shared the adventure and all,” Danny said. “I’ll let them know tomorrow. We’ve already dropped one bombshell on them.”**

**“Ka-boom,” Sam joked dryly, eliciting a startled laugh from her boyfriend.**

**“At least there’s no ecto-goo anywhere,” Danny said, chuckling at the mental image that gave him.**

**Sam made a disgusted face. “One word, Danny: _ew_.”**

_End Flashback._

Pulling the bed covers over his head after he toed off the leather boots, Danny burrowed his face into the pillow. All things considered, Sam had taken it better than he thought she would.

Now for the rest of his family…

* * *

**Two weeks later**

“Aaargh…” Groaning, Danny stretched out his sore muscles as he dumped his schoolbag on the bed. He soon followed it, rubbing both hands over his face as he mentally ran over the exhausting day he’d just had in his head.

Never mind that the Box Ghost was on cordial terms with him as long as he got his boxes, the rest of the ghosts were still an issue. He’d been working on some kind of treaty, but there were still some (like Technus) that remained a pain in his rear. To compound that particular technological problem, Tucker had called him with some sort of political emergency that apparently only Phantom could smooth over, as it involved a group of ghosts in Europe that wanted to haunt the cemeteries.

Needless to say, he hated politicians, politics, and anything to do with translators with a passion, as it had taken hours to deal with that particular problem.

Now he was home, tired, and wishing that Sam was in town and not off on some sort of trip to look into future college opportunities. It had been her parents’ idea, not hers, as she was still only sixteen and had two more years to graduate. They’d been getting by on video chats, but this was the kind of day where he wished she was here to help with lightening the load. His parents tried to help, they did, but they still didn’t have the experience to deal with ghosts like Technus, or the political clout he had in the Ghost Zone to talk with other ghosts that were on the opposite side of the globe. Simply put, he was completely alone when it came to dealing with those problems.

Not to mention that he was still worried about unexpectedly being sucked into the _Tangled_ universe. It had been two weeks since Clockwork had told him about being “bound” there and nothing had happened so far. Of course, it didn’t mean that nothing would _ever_ happen, but it was a cause for concern.

Frowning mentally, Danny ran his mind over that sentence again, wondering if he’d phrased that correctly. When his sluggish mind refused to respond, he gave up and simply rolled over, muffling a groan into his gloriously soft pillow.

He simply wanted to sleep and not wake up until it was next week. Unfortunately, he had school the next day and Mr. Lancer wouldn’t let him slack off simply because they knew he was Danny Phantom now.

‘ _And homework,_ ’ he thought dimly, already drifting off. ‘ _Can’t forget to read… Grapes of Wrath…_’

His last coherent thought was that of grapes arming themselves for battle, before his exhausted mind blissfully drifted off into nothing.

No sooner had he apparently dropped off did a loud noise jerk him from a peaceful slumber and he found himself falling backward to a very painful landing.

Bright lights assaulted him from under his eyelids as his head smarted from the sudden contact against a hard floor. He heard a startled exclamation before he dared to open his eyes, finding himself staring right into the face of a very surprised Eugene Fitzherbert, formerly known as Flynn Rider. Pascal was sitting on Eugene’s shoulder, chirping rather confusedly.

“So you two are friends now?” Danny asked dazedly, mildly wondering why he wasn’t currently freaking out.

“Why were you in a closet?” Eugene returned, bending down so his hands were resting on his knees. He was wearing the navy blue vest Danny remembered from the end of the movie

“I was in bed,” Danny muttered, stirring to prop himself up on his elbows. He was surprised to find himself at the foot of a large wardrobe – or closet as Eugene had called it – with the door open. “Okay…perhaps the better question is why you were _opening_ a closet?”

“Rapunzel wanted to play hide-and-seek,” Eugene said, shrugging. He gave Danny a hand and helped him up. “Pascal suggested the closet. If I’d known you were in it, I wouldn’t have forced you out.”

Danny blinked at the unintended double meaning of that statement. He doubted Eugene even knew that “in the closet” had an entirely different meaning in his world. “Do you know that where I’m from, telling someone that they’re in the closet is insinuating that they’re gay?”

“They’re really happy?” Eugene asked, confused.

“No. It means that they like other men…or women…it depends.” Danny shrugged, seeing that Eugene apparently didn’t give two hoots about whether someone liked someone else of the same gender. “You don’t care about that?”

“I had a neighbor when I was small,” Eugene said. “He really liked other guys. They were loud. I couldn’t help but notice. It’s not much different from liking a woman. They’re around, but it’s not a big deal.”

Danny found himself wishing that his own world was half as accepting as this. Then again, this had been a Pixar universe first, and those were usually rainbows and sunshine. It shouldn’t surprise him that a lot of the ugliest things that were in his universe weren’t present here.

Pascal gave another loud chirping noise, flickering to a golden color before turning back to his bright green hue.

Eugene gave the chameleon a glance. “Pascal’s right. Rapunzel will be wondering what’s keeping us.” He shot Danny a mischievous grin. “How about you hide while we go look? She’ll be excited to see you again. Where’s Sam?”

Danny shrugged, and then noticed that he was apparently wearing the satchel he’d gotten last time. Following that, he promptly noticed he was out decked in the same outfit as last time, and that his modern day clothes had mysteriously disappeared. Finding this more than a bit mysterious, he put it out of his mind to answer Eugene’s query. “Apparently she’s not bound to your world. I got roped into it because we interfered with Gothel. I have no clue how I got here anyway. I was sleeping in my bed at home when you woke me up by dumping me on the floor. How long has it been since we left?”

“‘Bout a month,” Eugene answered, pushing the closet door closed. “And let me tell you, a _lot_ has happened since then.”

“It’s only been two weeks at home,” Danny said, surprised. “Guess time doesn’t run the same way.”

“You’ll be the best judge of that,” Eugene acknowledged. “So…invisibility? We’re not expecting guests, so it won’t be easy to explain where you came from. It was hard enough explaining why you suddenly left last time.”

Danny winced. “Sorry ‘bout that. My friend back home made another wish to get us back. If we’d had warning, we would’ve let you know.” He turned invisible. “I’ll stay behind you while you go seeking Rapunzel.”

“Sounds good.” Eugene gave the place where he’d last seen Danny a nod, and then went walking off down the hall.

They passed an empty room and Eugene poked his head into it, saw no one was in there, and continued on.

“You know,” he said conversationally to Pascal, “for all we know she’s swinging from the rafters above our heads and giggling at our stupidity. What do you think?”

On cue, all three of them looked up, failed to see Rapunzel, and looked at each other again, though neither Eugene nor Pascal saw Danny.

“Guess not,” Eugene said, shrugging as he continued on. “So we’ve searched her bedroom, the bathroom, all the closets we could find, some of the libraries...what _haven’t_ we looked into yet?”

“The outside of the castle?” Danny suggested in a hushed tone.

“The rule was to stay inside,” Eugene replied. “Otherwise I’d be out there, too.” He flicked his thumb at a window. “And she wouldn’t have caught me so easily.”

Pascal gave an indignant chirp that Danny took to mean that Eugene’s hiding place had probably not been very ingenious to start with. For Eugene’s pride’s sake, he decided to remain silent on the matter and simply continued to follow the two as they scoured the castle for the missing princess.

“We haven’t searched this library yet,” Eugene muttered, stopping outside a door. He slowly opened it and slipped inside, leaving the door open a crack so Danny could come in as well.

“How many libraries are in here?” Danny asked.

“I lost count,” Eugene said dismissively. His eyes were flicking over the bookshelves and the ceiling. “And don’t get me started on the bedrooms. Or the bathrooms.”

“They host a lot of parties?” Danny offered as a possible suggestion for the sheer number of rooms.

“Aside from the one after Rapunzel came back, there hasn’t been one,” Eugene said. He went to the window and turned around, using the vantage point to get a better look at the library. “But I think they’re planning one as a get-to-know-you party for the other kingdoms in the area.” He squinted in the general vicinity of where Danny was standing. “You know, it’s really weird to be talking to thin air.”

Danny made a noncommittal sound of neither affirmation nor denial and kept his ears peeled for any suspicious noises. His extra keen hearing didn’t pick up anything. “I don’t think she’s in here. I don’t hear anything. Why don’t you try her room again? You might have missed something.”

Eugene made a face. “That’s on the other side of the castle.” Grumbling disgustedly, he exited the library and began the trek back to Rapunzel’s room at a light jog.

They didn’t meet anyone other than a couple of servants, who didn’t give Eugene any attention. There was one elderly servant who seemed to give the former thief the stink eye, but Eugene ignored him in favor of rounding a corner.

“Some still think I’m going to rob them blind,” Eugene informed Danny in a quiet voice, trusting that the half-ghost would hear him. “They forget that if I were going to do that, they’d already be missing half of the valuables.”

“Maybe you’re biding your time,” Danny whispered mock seriously.

“And I’m the king,” Eugene blandly shot back. “Those days are behind me.”

Pascal gave a contradicting chirp, smacking Eugene’s hair with his tail as he did so.

“You steal her crown?” Danny guessed.

“For fun!” Eugene protested. He stopped in front of an elaborately decorated wooden door. “Now shush. This is her room.” He furtively looked around. “Technically speaking, I’m not even supposed to go in here. Rapunzel ignores that and drags me in anyway, so I don’t really bother to listen.”

“I’ll help if need be,” Danny offered.

“I dove out the window last time,” Eugene said modestly, ignoring Pascal’s snickers.

“And landed on _what_?”

“The balcony below this. It’s very convenient.”

Danny tried not to imagine Eugene diving out a window to avoid the guards and failed. From what he knew about the former thief, he could completely see that happen. Eugene was the kind of guy who’d take risks like that and have it work out.

Eugene pushed the door open and snuck inside the room. Once there, he put Pascal on the dresser and began poking and prodding into all the hiding places. He was looking under the bed when Danny saw the curtain move.

Keeping his mouth shut meant that Eugene was completely startled when Rapunzel let out a triumphant whoop and swung down from her perch on the rafters behind the curtains, using her hair as a rope. She kicked a frozen Eugene in the back, dumping him onto the bed and landing on him, eliciting a surprised oomph from the man as he groaned under the weight.

“Rapunzel,” Eugene groaned, unable to even roll over as she was pinning him face first to the bedspread. “Okay…I give… You win!” He muttered the next bit into the cloth, though Danny could still hear him: “For the fifty-second time in a row.”

“You were gone for ages!” Rapunzel accused, laying out flat over Eugene’s back. She rested her chin on her arms, eyeing the brown hair of the man she had pinned under her.

“I already looked in here,” Eugene said, still muffled by the bedspread. “I then looked elsewhere. Do you mind getting off my back?”

Rapunzel obligingly rolled off onto her side, and Eugene resettled himself so he was resting on his elbows, smiling down at the girl with an expression on his face that Danny recognized from the party days at the end of _Tangled_. It was a lovesick sappy expression that Danny privately decided to never mention, as it would raise Eugene’s manly hackles and thus never see the light of day again. And that would just be sad, because it was a very cute expression indeed.

“Besides,” Eugene continued, stroking a hand through Rapunzel’s tresses and tucking a wandering lock behind her ear, “I met someone who was hiding in the closet.”

Somehow, Danny knew he had picked that phrasing simply because of their earlier discussion on gays.

“Really?” Rapunzel was intrigued. “Who?”

Eugene smiled, his brown eyes flicking over the room to look for Danny, who was standing invisibly by the foot of the bed. “Danny?”

With a small smile on his lips, Danny let his invisibility drop, seeing a corresponding expression of delight spread across Rapunzel’s face.

“Danny!” She jumped off the bed to pounce onto the half-ghost, hugging him ecstatically. “You’re here!” She pulled back to look around. “But where’s Sam?”

“She couldn’t come,” Danny said apologetically. “I’m not sure how I came here anyway. It’s something to do with me being half-ghost, but I didn’t get all the details because the guy who told me just loves being cryptic.”

“Join the club,” Eugene said. “I’m taking etiquette lessons from a guy who talks about politics as if it’s some sort of game.”

“Etiquette lessons?”

“Former thief here,” Eugene said, gazing pointedly at the satchel hanging across Danny’s body. “If I’m to stay, I have to take lessons. Otherwise I run the risk of disgracing company.”

“It’s so interesting!” Rapunzel said, pulling her hair down from where it was still tangled up in the curtains. “There’s so much to learn that I never even knew about!”

Behind her back, Eugene and Danny shared a mutual look of hatred for the woman who had stolen much of Rapunzel’s childhood.

“I’m sure you’re doing great,” Danny said. “You already knew all about astronomy, didn’t you? That involves a lot of math. And you can cook, sew, knit, make paper mâché...what else?”

“Paint?” Eugene suggested.

Rapunzel flushed. “But that’s not useful! They want me to be able to talk, walk, eat, and dance properly!”

“Rapunzel, you grew up in a tower,” Danny said. “I don’t think they’re expecting you to be the perfect princess. Just be yourself; you’ll be fine that way. Take it from someone who’s had that problem.”

“What he said,” Eugene said, coming up behind Rapunzel to gather up her hair. “I know for sure I’m failing my dance lessons. And eating lessons. Actually, I’m failing just about everything.”

Pascal chirped from his spot on the bed, making encouraging motions. He ended up sitting upright with both forelegs resting on his “hips”, looking proud and mighty.

“Thanks, Pascal,” Rapunzel said, smiling shyly. “I guess I still feel a bit overwhelmed, you know? It doesn’t feel quite real. It’s only been a month!” She looked up at Danny. “How long are you staying?”

“Not sure,” Danny said. “I was asleep in bed when I somehow ended up here. I’d like to stay a while, but I don’t know how this will work out. It’s been two weeks where I’m from, and I’m wondering why I was brought here _now_. You guys seem to be doing fine.”

There was a slow creeping flush up Eugene’s neck that Danny recognized as a mixture of nervousness and embarrassment, though his face remained impassively blank. He had a sudden suspicion as to what being “bound” to this universe would entail, as he was already protector of his own home in Amity Park.

Rapunzel leapt to her feet, beaming at all three of them. “How about we go for fifty-three out of fifty-four?”

There was a groan from Eugene and a disgusted chirp from Pascal. Danny was finding it difficult keeping the grin from his face.

“No.” Eugene firmly shook his head. “No more hide-and-seek. If I never see a game of hide-and-seek in my life again, it will be too soon.”

“Then what do you want to do?” Rapunzel asked.

“Go outside?” Eugene suggested. A suspicious look crossed his face. “Is there a reason you’re keeping to all the private areas of the castle? Are you…playing _hooky_?”

Rapunzel blushed lightly. “Er—”

There was a noise from outside that Danny’s sharp ears caught, though none of the others seemed to have heard it. Remembering what Eugene had said earlier about not technically being allowed in Rapunzel’s room, Danny jumped forward to grab Eugene’s arm to turn both of them invisible just as the door to the room opened, letting in two palace guards (one of which was the captain of the guards – Danny figured that maybe Maximus hadn’t taken over yet) and a stiff looking woman with a steel gray bun and an outrageously pink dress that made Danny think of a mixture of Dolores Umbridge and Minerva McGonagall. Just as this thought crossed his mind, he wished he could scrub it from his mind, as those two characters should never _ever_ be mixed.

“Rapunzel!” the woman reprimanded sternly. “Where have you been?”

Danny could see Eugene exhaling slowly in relief and mouthing a heartfelt “thank you”. He squeezed Eugene’s arm lightly to signify he’d gotten the message and returned his attention to the scene playing out.

“In my room, ma’am,” Rapunzel said quietly, to her credit not seeming shocked at Eugene’s or Danny’s sudden disappearance. “Why are they here?” she asked, looking at the guards.

“Fitzherbert is missing,” the captain said, eyes flickering around the room suspiciously as if he expected the former thief to be hiding somewhere within it.

“What do you want with Eugene?” Rapunzel asked.

“Manners, Rapunzel!” the woman snapped.

“I want to know!” Rapunzel fired back, jutting her chin out stubbornly. “He hasn’t done anything wrong that you should be looking for him!”

The captain’s eyes narrowed. “Some valuables have gone missing, including the queen’s jewelry.”

Rapunzel sounded incredulous. “You think _Eugene_ did it?”

“One of the servants identified him, princess,” the captain said unapologetically.

“That’s not proof!”

Danny could feel Eugene stiffening in his grip, and he adjusted it so that he was holding the man’s shirt in his other hand.

“It’s just a precaution,” the captain said, unflinchingly meeting Rapunzel’s eyes.

Remembering the time the captain had looked at Eugene so suspiciously when he’d brought Rapunzel back, Danny suddenly knew that this was the reason for why he’d been brought back now.

Oh why, oh why did he have to be the guardian of _two_ worlds?


	2. To Catch A Thief

Damn, damn, damn, _damn_ … What the hell was happening here? He hadn’t touched a _thing_ in the castle (aside from the crown – that was a running joke between him and Rapunzel) and while he’d been tempted, he hadn’t stolen or even _misplaced_ anything.

But this was bad, Eugene knew. The captain of the guards had it in for him, which was completely understandable considering how many years he’d been leading him around the nose. But you’d think that the guy would be able to let a grudge die, especially since he’d brought Rapunzel back in one piece and hadn’t even _looked_ at anything valuable!

Apparently not.

Eugene shifted nervously, feeling the grip Danny had on his arm and on the back of his vest not lighten up. He was extremely thankful that Danny was here. He hadn’t heard the guards or Maria – Rapunzel’s governess – approach.

He didn’t think that there was anything incriminating him in his room. Though, granted, he hadn’t been in there since early morning, when Rapunzel had dragged him out for their first rousing game of hide-and-seek. If he was a thief looking to frame someone, he’d put the stolen things inside the room when the inhabitant was gone and looked to be gone for a long time.

Maria sniffed imperiously, looking down her beady little nose at Rapunzel, who looked stubbornly back. When it came to her own self, she could be meek. When it came to others – in particular Eugene – she turned into a stubborn mule who wouldn’t give. It was extraordinarily endearing, though Eugene wished she’d be a little more insistent on her own rights. Maria was trying to turn her into a little doll.

“Come along, Rapunzel,” Maria ordered, half turning to the door. “We will let the guards do their work.”

Eugene tugged Danny closer, hoping his friend could hear him as he breathed, “Take me out, yeah? It won’t look good if I’m not found anywhere.”

There was no answering reply, though Eugene felt himself sink through the floor with a sudden tingly feeling. The abrupt motion made him startle, though he quickly adjusted as he found himself in the sitting room that was situated directly below Rapunzel’s room.

Danny turned them visible, stepping back as he did. Eugene turned around, opening his mouth to say something in his defense when he found that Danny’s eyes were glittering an electric green.

“I know you didn’t do it,” Danny said shortly. “I may not have spent the month here with you, but I’d like to think myself a pretty good judge of character.”

Eugene grimaced as he thought of the captain upstairs. “Yeah, tell it to him.”

“What’s his name?” Danny asked. “It was never given in the movie.”

“Frederick,” Eugene said. “I call him Freddie. He’s never taken to it, though.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Danny said dryly. “So…Frederick up there…he’s got it in for you?”

“He’s been after me a long time,” Eugene explained, looking up at the ceiling. “Suddenly being the princess’s consort hasn’t changed his opinion of me in the slightest. If he finds something to incriminate me…” He trailed off, making a slicing motion with his hand and corresponding sound effects.

“Are you going to head back to your room?” Danny asked. “If I know anything about officials, they use one front to distract, and another to look for evidence.”

Eugene nodded curtly, very familiar with that particular avenue of investigation. “It’s too late by now. They’ll be back there already. But I can go and see what’s up. It’s not a good thing if they’re unable to find me in the interim. But it would’ve been worse if they’d found me in Rapunzel’s room. I haven’t been caught yet, but I’d rather not risk their wrath if I’m found deflowering the princess.”

Danny’s eyes widened and he inhaled sharply, seeming to choke off his instinctual reaction, which might have been to cough or laugh. Eugene wasn’t sure which. “Did you…just joke about having… _sex_ with Rapunzel?”

Eugene raised an eyebrow. “That’s what they assume I’d do.”

“Note to self,” Danny said, shaking his head, “this is not PG-rated any longer.”

“PG,” Eugene repeated slowly.

“Parental guidance suggested,” Danny said, waving a hand. “It’s a movie rating that lets families know if they can take their kids to see certain movies. G is for everyone, PG is the next one, PG-thirteen is for teens and up, and R is restricted to seventeen and older. Most don’t really follow the guidelines, though, ’cause the ratings are a bit too extreme. They rate a movie PG-thirteen or R for a couple of curse words, you know?”

Eugene wondered if this was a rhetorical question, as he didn’t have the slightest idea what a movie was like, other than the fact that his adventures had been a movie in Danny’s universe. It didn’t give him a whole lot of ground work to figure out what a movie normally consisted of, other than being incredibly invasive into other people’s private lives. “…No.”

Danny looked annoyed at himself for a split-second. “Right, sorry. I forget sometimes where I’m at. Though _how_ I do that is beyond me, since I’m right now standing in a giant castle.”

Now Eugene knew that he really couldn’t comment on that, and decided to go to his room before anything further happened and he ended up being chased across the castle by furious guards who thought he’d stolen the queen’s jewelry – which, you know, he _hadn’t done_.

He left the room with an abrupt about-face, not even having to look behind him to know that Danny had turned invisible again and was following closely. The backup made him slightly more secure knowing that he wouldn’t be walking in unarmed and friendless. Danny had already told him the first time around that if anything happened, he could easily nip in and take him out.

If that hadn’t been the case, Eugene doubted he’d be so brave to actually be walking back to his room. His instincts – which were very well developed considering his years of thieving – were screaming at him that something was wrong and that he was walking into a trap.

It’d been the same feeling when he’d gone to return the crown to the Stabbington brothers, though he’d ignored it in favor of trying to make peace and go back to Rapunzel as quickly as possible. He’d vowed then and there after it turned rotten that he’d never go against his instincts again. But while he was doing so right now, he did it with the conviction that he had help in the wings.

His room was, not coincidentally, on the other side of the castle as Rapunzel’s. Although he was on good terms with the king and the queen - more so with the queen than with the king – he had no doubt that it was because of Freddie’s advice that his room was so far away from Rapunzel’s. It was no problem to him, as he could easily sneak through the castle without anyone else knowing, and Rapunzel didn’t care either, as she loved to cover the distance in the early morning to wake him up and drag him outside before anyone else noticed. Those were the best days, as he simply spent time with her without any worries. They hadn’t gotten much further than making out, as he was well aware that Rapunzel was very innocent in the ways of the world, and so he wasn’t about to jump into anything hasty and irresponsible.

So help him, he loved her and would rather turn himself in before he even considered hurting her.

Although, if neither the king nor the queen did anything about solving the bird and the bees conundrum, he was going to take the matter into his own hands before someone else did and completely botched it up.

With a nervous sigh, Eugene bolstered his courage and rounded the corner to come into sight of his room. He couldn’t see Danny, though there was a brief and reassuring nudge at the small of his back before the pressure disappeared. That was all Eugene had time to notice from that angle before he took in the sight that yes, the guards were inspecting his room, and damn, they’d completely ripped up the paper mâché Rapunzel had given him!

Then the guards noticed he was standing there. Eugene was trying to appear blasé and unflustered, though he didn’t think he was quite succeeding as he could feel his palms sweating as the lead guard – a guy named Stan – gave him an extremely dirty look.

“Fitzherbert!” Stan snapped, marching up to him. Three other nameless guards were in tow behind him. “Where have you been?”

At least they stopped with the Rider remarks… It had taken a while for them to get used to the fact that his name was Eugene Fitzherbert, and not Flynn Rider.

“Around,” Eugene replied dismissively. “What are you doing in my room? Cleaning? I didn’t know that was in your job description.”

Stan’s eyes narrowed and the tone of his voice didn’t change. “Around where?”

“I didn’t know you were my keeper,” Eugene said, not giving any ground. He stared right into Stan’s eyes, trying to ignore the way the others were flanking his sides and boxing him in. That was such an instant no no in thief language. “I repeat, why are you searching my room? I wasn’t aware that searches were required of castle residents.”

“Can you explain this?” Stan demanded. He snapped his fingers and one of the guards exiting the room held up a large ornate and purple vase.

“Rapunzel bought that for me,” Eugene said.

Stan’s brow furrowed and he turned around, only to glare furiously at the hapless man holding the vase. “Put that back!”

“Is that all?” Eugene asked, hoping that nothing had been put into his room. “Or do you want me to turn in the ivory chess set that came with the room? I swear I haven’t touched it!”

“No!” Stan waved over another one and displayed the gleaming sapphire necklace he was holding. “ _This_! Can you explain why the queen’s necklace was found in your quarters?”

Eugene’s stomach plummeted into his boots. He swallowed heavily, well aware that if the queen’s necklace was in his room, there was a good chance that the other stolen valuables were also in there. “I didn’t touch that. I have no idea why it would be in there.”

“Oh, really?” Stan remarked skeptically. “What about this?”

Another guard held up a box, opening it to reveal an assortment of valuable rings.

“I don’t wear rings,” was all Eugene could say, feeling ill now.

“Or this?”

This time the incriminating evidence was a set of valuable pearl and ruby earrings.

Eugene closed his eyes, aware of his heart pounding in his ears. He inhaled deeply, knowing his one chance now was complete and utter honesty. “I haven’t touched, or seen, any of that. This is the first time I’ve seen it.”

The guards flanking him stepped closer menacingly as Stan pushed up right into his face. “Explain it to the judge! You were caught red handed in the act!”

Eugene’s hands flew up in defense. “No, I wasn’t! Honestly, I’ve never seen _any_ of that! Aside from the fact that it’s in my room – ignoring that since anyone could’ve been in there and put it in – where’s your proof?”

This time someone else stepped up, a servant girl with dark brown hair and eyes who Eugene had frequently seen about the royal quarters. He vaguely remembered her name being Rosa or something of the sort.

“I saw you,” she said quietly, looking at Eugene. “I saw you by their rooms.”

He thought back to the game of hide-and-seek he’d been playing with Rapunzel that morning, when he _had_ been in the vicinity of those forbidden rooms, and cursed himself. “Okay, I was in that area. But I didn’t go in! I was playing with Pascal.” God, he must be desperate to admit to playing with a _chameleon_. But he couldn’t mention Rapunzel. Technically, they weren’t supposed to be together without a chaperone.

“You went in,” Rosa insisted.

“No, I didn’t!” Eugene protested, flinching away as one of the guards laid a meaty hand on his bicep. “I swear, I was just playing – er, _hanging out_ with Pascal! It’s not like we had anything else to do!”

“Would you mind explaining why the jewels were found missing _after_ you were seen in the vicinity?” Stan demanded.

“I don’t know!” Eugene threw his hands up, edging away from the other guards as he did. “Maybe someone’s trying to frame me?”

“You steal the princess’s crown.”

“It’s a joke between us! She knows I do it! Besides, I hand it _back_. Doesn’t that count?”

“You know what, _Fitzherbert_?” Stan growled, eyes flashing. “I don’t believe you. We have an eyewitness placing you at the scene. That and the incriminating fact that the jewelry is _inside_ your quarters. You can argue your case in front of the jury! Take him in!”

Eugene had no time to react as the three guards grabbed his arms and cuffed them behind him in a loud clatter of chains. They then lifted him up bodily and began dragging him down the hall.

Largely shell-shocked and tongue tied, Eugene was barely able to meet a stunned Rapunzel’s eyes as she stood by Maria’s side, her face ashen.

Oh God… Danny had _better_ be on this.

* * *

Danny was torn. Should he go with Eugene or talk with Rapunzel? Rapunzel had no idea what was happening, and Eugene was probably on the verge of panicking. He had the option of duplicating, but while he knew the duplicate _was_ him, it wasn’t the same. He didn’t feel right leaving one or the other to deal with a copy of himself.

After debating the issue mentally for another few seconds, and realizing that last time Eugene had almost been hung, Danny decided to stick with Eugene for the meantime. He did leave a duplicate behind for Rapunzel, though, thinking that if anything happened on that end, she would at least have a copy of himself for support.

It didn’t take long for them to make it to the prison cells, and Eugene was thrown into a small barren cell with only a tiny rectangular window for air and light. Danny phased through the bars, and hovered there, having transformed into his ghost half when it appeared that Eugene wouldn’t be able to talk his way out of the mess he’d found himself in. He glanced back through the prison door, saw that no one was there, and turned visible.

His sudden visibility made Eugene start, and a relieved expression covered his face. “Oh good. You’re here!” He didn’t bat an eyelash at seeing Danny’s white hair and jumpsuit.

“I didn’t leave.” Danny kept his voice low, not wanting to attract attention. “Do you want me to get you out of here?”

Eugene looked torn. It was evident to Danny that he dearly wished to get out of here, but that he also wanted to clear his name.

Danny sighed, running over all the mystery novels and movies he’d ever read. “Or I could go and see what happened,” he offered. “ _Someone_ framed you.”

When Eugene’s request came, it surprised Danny. “Can you talk to Rapunzel? She must be worried.”

“I can do that,” Danny said slowly. “But about your little…problem?”

Eugene snorted. “Little problem? There’s not much I can say that won’t incriminate me. I’m not supposed to be alone with Rapunzel, and Pascal doesn’t count.”

“There has to be _some_ proof somewhere,” Danny insisted. “Who do you suspect?”

“At the moment? Everyone!” Eugene threw his hands up in frustration. “Look, go talk with Rapunzel. She might’ve seen something. Then come back. I might have something for you then.”

Danny sighed, trying to figure out how long he could keep up two different duplicates while he went back to Rapunzel. He could probably manage it if they didn’t get into fights; it was an ability he was still working the kinks out of.

“Okay.” Danny closed his eyes, forming another copy of himself that promptly turned invisible. Eugene’s eyes widened at the feat. “I’ll be leaving a duplicate behind. If something happens, he’ll get you out. Just don’t take any unnecessary risks, okay?”

“I’ll do my best,” Eugene said; Danny couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or serious. He decided to opt for serious, as the other option meant that Eugene had a death wish.

He eyed Eugene for a moment longer to reinforce his advice before he left, turning invisible as he did. He flew back quickly, using the subtle sixth sense he had regarding duplicates to find Rapunzel.

She was sitting on her bed, face buried in her hands; Pascal was sitting by her, a mute blue color in silent empathy. The duplicate hovered behind her invisibly and gave the original a worried look before it faded away. Danny mentally checked to be sure that the other was still with Eugene, noticing a small power drain that signaled an affirmative. He gave the room a once over to assure that it was empty save for Rapunzel, Pascal, and himself.

Landing on the floor in front of Rapunzel, he made a faint rustle before turning visible. “Rapunzel…”

Rapunzel’s head jerked up, eyes slightly red. “Danny! What’s going on? They’re not telling me anything!”

“Eugene doesn’t know much either,” Danny said, standing directly by the bed. “What we got was that someone’s put your mother’s jewelry into his room, along with everything else that was stolen. Since he was also seen by your parents’ rooms, they think he’s responsible. I’ve got a duplicate with him at the moment.”

“But he didn’t _do_ anything!” Rapunzel protested, hands curling into fists. “He’s innocent!”

“You have to admit that he _was_ a thief for a long time,” Danny said. “That’s not something the palace guards can forget easily. Even though I sorta managed to get him off the crime of being Flynn Rider, it was on a technicality that no one really believes. As far as they know, he’s still Flynn Rider, a wanted thief, and he’s probably just after your money.”

Furiously, Rapunzel stood up, pacing to the window and whipping about, hands placed on her hips. “What are we going to do about it?” she demanded. “He didn’t do it! And I’m not going to have them _hang_ him for something he didn’t do!”

“I know,” Danny said quickly, warily eyeing her hair. It was lying about him in a giant circle, looping over the bed and also on the floor. “He asked me to ask you if you’ve seen anything. I’ll be going to him after that. I’m going to find out what happened, Rapunzel. It’s why I’m here.”

“I didn’t see anything,” Rapunzel said unhappily. “I’ve been cooped up in here learning. When I’m out, it’s usually with Eugene.”

Danny ran his mind over the servant girl that had accused Eugene of going into the king’s and queen’s rooms to steal the valuables. “Are you familiar with a brown-haired and brown-eyed girl? She said she saw Eugene by your parents’ rooms and that he went inside.”

Rapunzel shared a look with Pascal, who shrugged in response as if to say that he hadn’t seen any such girl that morning. “I don’t know everyone who works here. There’re so many.” She made an apologetic face. “But I know there are only a few that clean that area. Eugene might know; he’s gotten familiar with almost everyone.”

“Can you talk with your parents?”

“They’re not here,” Rapunzel said, tugging the sleeve of her dress down. “They went away for a few days. Something about some sort of ball.”

Danny distinctly remembered Eugene talking about that party and felt sorry for her. Rapunzel didn’t strike him as the sort to do well in an extremely formal ball. She was great with people, but didn’t seem the sort to be able to stay formal and stiff for long periods of time.

“Okay…” Danny exhaled slowly, thinking through his options. “How soon do you think they’ll do anything with him? They have to wait for your parents, don’t they? It’s their stuff.”

“If they do _anything_ ,” Rapunzel said furiously, “I’ll go in and get him out myself!”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Danny said hastily. “I’m keeping an eye on him, and can get him out in five minutes flat if I have to. Look, just keep an ear to the ground, all right? I’ll try and see what’s up by spying on the servants or…I dunno. I’ll figure something out.”

Rapunzel nodded firmly, eyes hardening. “I will. Just…keep him safe.”

Remember how desperate she had been after Eugene had been stabbed in the movie, Danny gave his promise with a solemn nod. “That’s my intention.”

* * *

Following Danny’s departure, Eugene spent about five to ten minutes simply pacing the length of his prison cell. When it began to remind him too much of the night before he was due to be hung, he leaned against the wall on the right side, sliding down it to come to an exhausted slump. He had a budding headache and that never bode well.

“Screw it all,” Eugene muttered, lightly throwing his head back to rest against the stone wall. He half wished that he could talk to the duplicate, but it felt kind of weird talking to a simple copy. Besides, he didn’t think that he would be alone for very long. It wouldn’t say much for his sanity if he was overheard talking to thin air.

Sighing tiredly, Eugene began to run over all the suspects in the castle. He immediately scratched off everyone who worked in the kitchens, as they were all on excellent terms with Rapunzel and were very familiar with him as well. His tutor was out as well, as the guy didn’t have the brains for this kind of an operation.

Why did Rosa say he’d been _inside_ the royal couple’s rooms? Even for a game of hide-and-seek, he would never even have considered poking his head in there. Those rooms were forbidden ground, and Rapunzel knew that as well.

It was possible that someone had disguised themselves as him. Or maybe even bribed Rosa to say he’d gone in there. He did have enemies among the castle servants, as some had never forgiven him for stealing the princess’s crown, even though he had returned the actual person and the crown itself (granted, the latter had been courtesy of the Stabbington brothers, but _still_ \- it was just a technicality).

Mentally putting Rosa’s name on the suspect list, he then put the majority of castle guards on the list as well. He didn’t really think that any of them were responsible, but it was better safe than sorry. Some really _did_ hate him. Freddie was a bit too much of a do-gooder to consider doing this, but Eugene put him on the list simply out of spite. He’d long since had the suspicion that the badly drawn posters were due to _his_ doing. And really, that was just a travesty.

Eugene was drawn out of his thoughts by steps outside. His head snapped up, and he hoped that they weren’t going to take him to be hung. They couldn’t do that to begin with. The king and queen were gone for the time being, and Rapunzel would never allow it. Furthermore, they still had the tiny problem that he _hadn’t done it_. Of course, they being general suspicious bastards, it was quite possible that they’d just stow him away somewhere and completely forget about his existence.

But that was just his pessimism talking.

And he was a glass half-full kind of guy.

He scrambled to his feet when he saw Freddie glaring at him through the bars. Eugene plastered a grin on his face, though it felt too fake to be convincing. “Freddie! How’s it going?” As long as he knew he _wasn’t_ guilty, he sure as hell wasn’t going to act like it.

Freddie’s glare deepened. “Fitzherbert,” he rumbled. He nodded at the guard accompanying him to unlock the door. “You’re coming with us for questioning.”

“Ooh… We’re doing questioning now?” Eugene kept his tone light even as they locked his hands behind his back.

There was no response and he kept quiet as they marched through the halls. It didn’t take long for them to reach another room, with a small wooden table and two chairs. They sat him down in one, keeping his hands still chained, while Freddie sat in the other, his eyes fixed on Eugene’s.

Desperately hoping that Danny’s duplicate was on this, Eugene kept from fidgeting through sheer will power and simply stared right back at Freddie. He kept his face blank, with only a vaguely disapproving twist to his mouth.

Freddie broke first, leaving Eugene to give a mental ‘ _Yes!_ ’ The captain of the guards cleared his throat shortly before saying, “What do you have to say for yourself, Fitzherbert?”

“Myself? Not much. But boy do I have a _lot_ to say about this place. Think you can put some cots or comfortable chairs in the rooms? One can’t even sit!”

“This isn’t a joke, Fitzherbert!” Freddie snapped, slamming his hands on the table, abruptly cutting Eugene’s chatter off. “You were seen at the scene of the crime! The missing jewelry was found in _your_ room! What is your _explanation_?”

Eugene kept silent for a moment, raising both eyebrows. When he spoke, his voice was low and serious. “I’ve never gone in there. I’ve never even seen any of that stuff until you showed me. As much as it pains me to say it”—his tone had taken on a deeply sarcastic note—“I’m innocent.”

Freddie sat back heavily in his chair. “Do you have an alibi?”

“Oh, now you ask.” Eugene gave a heavy sigh, repressing his immediate response to say that a boy from another universe had been his companion. “Pascal. You know – green, small, has a tail… Can’t miss him.”

Freddie’s mouth twisted into a disbelieving smirk. “You honestly expect us to believe that your only alibi is that of a _chameleon_?”

“I know. It’s hard to believe.” Eugene shrugged. “But really, ask him. You talk to Max, don’t you? It’s the same deal.”

Freddie let out a low chuckle. “You know, Fitzherbert…Rider”—Eugene hid a cringe at the sudden name change—“you’re a smooth guy. You might have our leaders fooled because of their gratefulness, and you might have the princess’s trust because you ‘saved’ her”—the skepticism was heavily heard here—“but you haven’t fooled _any_ of us. We all know who you really are: a no-good thief who’s simply looking out for himself.”

Eugene inhaled deeply, willing himself to keep calm. Danny was here… “My name,” he said firmly, “is Eugene Fitzherbert.”

“Keep saying that,” Freddie said, shrugging lightly. “But we’ve got mountains of evidence saying otherwise. You have one person confirming your identity as Eugene Fitzherbert, and dozens more who’ll just love to testify that you are indeed Flynn Rider.”

Eugene’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t think of anyone he knew in the prison cells, but then he hadn’t really been paying attention either. There were some shady characters in his past that he’d rather not think about. “And just who would that be? ’Cause, you see, I know a lot of people. Whether these people are the same ones _I_ know is debatable.”

“Trust me, Rider,” Freddie said, grinning unkindly, “these people are _very_ familiar with you.”

“How familiar?” Eugene asked warily. “And what exactly do you mean by ‘familiar’? Because the word has several connotations depending on how you use it—”

“Personally familiar!” Freddie interrupted. “Never mind who they are—”

“I don’t actually kill people,” Eugene said. “That would be overkill – no pun intended. Besides, I _didn’t do it_ , remember? I thought this was about proving my innocence?”

“This is about proving something,” Freddie said, standing up abruptly. He gestured to the guard standing at the door. “Take him back.”

“W-wait!’ Eugene hung onto the chair for a moment longer with his legs, resisting being dragged off it. “What about what’s going to happen? I’m telling you I didn’t do it! Think what you want about who I am, but when have I honestly ever actually _lied_ about something really important?”

Freddie didn’t say anything, simply turning around to show his back to the frustrated man.

“Very mature!” Eugene yelled after him as the other guard pulled him back. “Really like what you’re doing there! And may I just say to lay off the éclairs?”

He was promptly dumped back into his cell, and he rubbed his wrists in irritation as he sat back down in the same spot he’d been in before.

“I hope you’re back, Danny,” he muttered to the empty air. “And by you I mean the real you, not that copy. I find talking to something like that just plain weird.”

There was a moment of silence before a figure materialized by the ceiling. Danny floated there, arms folded across his chest and knees tucked up. It looked a bit like he was sitting on the air.

Eugene looked up, darting a look outside before daring to say anything. “That really you?”

“It is,” Danny confirmed in a low voice. “I didn’t see most of what happened, but the duplicate told me about it. He’s – or I guess _I_ am right now investigating the servants.”

Eugene sighed heavily. “The only thing I can come up with is that someone bribed Rosa to say I was there.”

“Rosa?” Danny cocked his head to the side for a brief moment in confusion before realization flickered across his face. “Ah, that girl. Well, if she was bribed, I suppose there’s a way to figure that out. I’ll just have to stay on her toes.”

“How many of those copies can you make?” Eugene asked.

Danny thinned his lips for a moment. “I’m…not actually sure. The most I’ve made at one point was three, though they didn’t last for very long. Then again, I was in the middle of a fight and wasting energy. I might be able to keep it up indefinitely if they just stay invisible or phase through stuff.” He adjusted his position so he was floating upside down. The sight made Eugene feel vaguely ill. “I could probably pull off five, not including myself. Maybe more if they’re not actually _full_ duplicates…”

Eugene sat back, taking that information and running it through his head. Six in total… Well, that meant he could only tail those that he was _really_ suspicious about.

“Why don’t we try that,” Eugene suggested. “Total of six. You don’t have to hang around me”—Danny looked skeptical—“you really don’t. I can manage on my own; I’ve done it for years.”

“You were never in the royal prison,” Danny pointed out. “The last time you were almost hung.”

“The key word is _almost_ ,” Eugene protested. “Besides, I don’t think they’ll do anything that drastic at this point. They have to talk to Rapunzel’s parents first. Look, just put a tail on these people, all right? Rosa, Freddie, Heinrich, Heinz, Franz, and Evan.”

“Whoa.” Danny put up two hands. “I don’t know who any of those people are. Rosa and Freddie, sure, since I saw them, but what about the rest?”

“Heinrich is that old guy you saw earlier this morning,” Eugene said. “The one who gave me the evil eye. He’s one of the older servants; he might’ve seen something. Heinz and Franz are two of the guards that really don’t like me. Heinz is big and beefy…has a reddish sort of face…and is utterly incapable of growing a mustache.” Eugene gave a faint smirk at remembering his earlier attempts that month. “Franz is skinnier, but really tall. He’s kind of tan and has sort of reddish hair. His voice is kind of high-pitched. Evan should be really easy to find. He’s a stable hand. Kind of small, dark hair, and a little squinty about the eyes.”

“And why’d you pick them?”

“Rosa because she is, quite frankly, our best shot. Freddie because he’s going to be on the tail of whoever did this, even though he thinks it’s me. Heinrich because the guy probably saw _something_ ; he’s been working there long enough. Heinz and Franz because they really, _really_ don’t like me. And Evan because he’s been the kind of guy to turn up where he’s not supposed to be. While that’s great for a guy like me, it’s not so great for someone who’s supposedly a stable hand.”

“Okay…” Danny seemed to take a moment to form a mental image of each of these suspects. Then he closed his eyes; with no warning, four copies of him popped into being.

Danny opened his eyes, exhaling shakily. “So…you go for Evan, you for Hanz, you for Franz, and you for Heinrich.” He pointed at each copy in turn and they vanished to do their job. “I’ll track Freddie, and the duplicate I have in the castle should be able to cover Rosa.” He made a face. “If he doesn’t, one of the others will let him know.” He cast an appraising gaze over Eugene. “Don’t do anything crazy, all right? I promised Rapunzel to keep you safe, and I won’t be able to keep an eye on you.”

“I’ll lay low,” Eugene assured him. “I can’t really do anything from in here.”

Danny sighed, shaking his head. “Famous last words,” he said before giving Eugene a goodbye flick of his fingers and disappearing.

Eugene waited for a few minutes before slowly thunking his head against the wall, closing his eyes as he did. “Famous last words, indeed,” he whispered.

* * *

In the meantime, while Danny and Eugene were hatching their own plan, Rapunzel was making her way to the stables. She had a letter clutched in her hand and a determined glint in her green eyes. She trusted Danny and Eugene, but she had to take care of some matters on her own.

Her parents were gone for the moment, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t come back. Considering that Eugene was in trouble, she didn’t think that it was a bad idea to ask them to come home. She couldn’t tell anyone else what they had been doing that morning, as they overreacted when it came to the subject of Eugene.

Her mother and father understood. They knew what it was like to be in love.

She crept into the stables, swinging in through the window with her long hair. She dropped silently to the soft ground, pulling her hair in behind her as she did. Pascal had remained behind in her room to run interference if needed.

Rapunzel silently made her way to a specific stall she had become very familiar with over the last month. “Max!” she called softly.

There was a questioning nicker from the stall, and Maximus’s white head poked out. He immediately whinnied happily upon seeing her, and she had to quickly shush him.

“Quiet, Max! I’m not supposed to be here!”

Max cocked his head to the side, snorting in confusion.

“They arrested Eugene,” she whispered hurriedly, getting into the stall beside him. “They think he stole Mama’s jewelry. I know he didn’t, because he was with me all day yesterday and playing hide-and-seek today. Pascal was with him. But they found the stuff in his room, and I _know_ he didn’t do it, and Danny says that someone might have framed him.”

Max butted the agitated hand stroking his nose in reassurance.

Rapunzel inhaled deeply, trying to calm her nerves. “Max, I need you to get this letter to Mama and Father. Can you do that? It explains everything that just happened here.”

She knew Max and Eugene still had their differences, but they’d gotten much friendlier over the past month. Besides, this letter was for _her_ , and Max listened to what she asked for.

Max gave a short huff, seeming insulted that she even had to ask.

Rapunzel gave him a fierce hug. “Thank you, Max, thank you!” She took a satchel she’d taken for this purpose and put the letter inside, tying it around Max’s neck. “Hurry, will you?”

She opened the stable door for Max, and with a final nudge from his muzzle, he was off. Rapunzel spared no time looking after him. She pulled the stable door shut and swung herself back into the rafters, aiming to return to her room.

She’d done her part. Now to wait.

* * *

Danny found himself bored out of his mind as he floated over Frederick’s head, half keeping an eye on what the captain of the guards was doing. He wasn’t _just_ bored, though, but also extremely worried. Yet he couldn’t do much other than just spy on the people Eugene had listed off, as he wasn’t able to read minds and wasn’t very familiar with the people.

To sum it up, it was a very foul state to be in.

At the moment, Frederick wasn’t doing much other than paperwork. Danny glanced over what he was doing, knowing that anything could be important, but it was all either in an indiscernible shorthand he couldn’t understand or dealing with other affairs of the state that he knew had nothing to do with Eugene. After all, what did the amount of grain coming into the kingdom have to do with Eugene Fitzherbert?

Sighing softly, Danny hoped that his other duplicates were having better luck than he was. His mind wandered over to the duplicates keeping an eye on Heinz and Franz, wondering just what they were getting. It was undoubtedly more, as those guards supposedly greatly disliked Eugene.

‘ _Man, I really wish I’d picked something a bit more interesting,_ ’ Danny thought sourly.

No sooner had he thought this, his mind on the duplicate that was observing Heinz, did he suddenly find his vision split as he looked down on the sight of two guards interacting. The sudden change nearly caused him to lose his invisibility, though he managed to hold it after a brief flicker. With the one eye that was still looking at Frederick, Danny saw that he looked up, frowning slightly, before he returned his attention to his paperwork, shaking his head.

The other eye was paying attention to the two guards Danny recognized as Heinz and Franz; Eugene had kind of done the two of them a favor in his description. He only had to look briefly up to see his other invisible duplicate floating there, looking rather peeved that there were _two_ of them spying on the guards when just one would have done if they were together.

With a thought, Danny isolated the particular duplicate he was staring at and dissipated it, not needing the energy sap. He could hold his invisibility indefinitely, but it wasn’t something he’d done in addition to duplication for long periods of time.

Aside from that, he’d never known that he had this particular ability when it came to duplicating. It wasn’t exactly feasible during a battle, but for reconnaissance it was indefinitely helpful as it meant that he could see what was happening himself.

Like now, as he could clearly see that while Heinz and Franz were hiding out behind some sort of wall, they were being joined by Rosa. His invisible duplicate tailing her looked momentarily surprised on seeing him (was it because of his appearance or because it could sense that he was the original?), but simply gave a nod before refocusing on Rosa.

“It worked, didn’t it?” she asked immediately, pulling down the hood on the cloak she was wearing.

“It worked,” Heinz confirmed.

Danny wasn’t left wondering for long as to what exactly worked as Rosa demanded, “Well? The deal was that I’d get Rider for you and that you’ll help me get out of here.”

“Be patient,” Franz snapped, keeping his rather high-pitched voice low. It was a weird sound. “It’s not every day that people leave the kingdom. Besides, the story has to stick.”

“The jewels were placed in his room,” Rosa said, crossing her arms and setting her jaw. “I saw them myself.”

“Of course they were,” Heinz said. “But we know the system works. They will require your word.”

“It’s not like the princess will allow it to happen in the first place,” Rosa said. “Rider’s got her good.”

“With the evidence we’ve got,” Franz said, smirking, “they won’t have any choice. He’s not Fitzherbert, and there never was one.”

Back in Frederick’s room, Danny furrowed his brow, wondering just what they had to convince the king and queen that Eugene had formerly been Flynn Rider.

“Rumor has it that they already know,” Rosa pointed out.

“He got off on a measly technicality,” Heinz growled. “The former artist has been taken care of.”

Just the way he said it sent shivers down Danny’s spine, and he realized that this universe was a very different one from the universe Disney had originally introduced. The baseline was the same, but the characters were developing on their own. There were several guards that were crueler than what Disney would ever have them be without some sort of justification.

Or perhaps he was just over thinking it. Disney did have cruel villains, such as the evil guy in _Beauty and the Beast_. But sexual jokes like the one Eugene had made weren’t something that was in Disney’s usual repertoire, and Danny couldn’t remember anything like that from before. Was it possible that as this universe grew older, the characters became more like the real world where Danny came from?

Or maybe they were just revealing facets of their personality that a movie couldn’t. As a twenty-two-year-old, Eugene was old enough to think like that. But of course Disney couldn’t show that in the movie itself, as that would warrant a higher rating than just PG.

His thoughts were broken as he once again paid attention to what was happening, chiding himself for getting distracted. Thankfully he hadn’t missed much after Heinz had spoken.

“Flynn Rider will pay,” Franz said, eyes darkening.

‘ _What’s he ever done to you?_ ’ Danny wondered, eyeing Franz’s skinny figure.

“We’ve lined up the character witnesses,” Franz continued, smiling grimly. “There are two who would be very interested in getting a lighter sentence for selling their old partner out.”

With a chilling realization, Danny knew they were talking about the Stabbington brothers. He would have to see if they were still in the prison cells. Eugene hadn’t mentioned them, but perhaps he thought they were taken care of.

Thinking that he had seen enough from this angle, Danny focused on his actual body that was still in Frederick’s office, momentarily disorienting himself as he found himself fully present in one place instead of in two different ones. Shaking his head as he adjusted to his different sight, Danny looked down at Frederick once more before promptly duplicating himself again and leaving to talk to Eugene.

He had some things to cover with him before going to Rapunzel to tell her what had happened.

* * *

Rapunzel was trying to lose herself in a book when she heard a sharp “Psst!” by her ear. The sound caused her to abruptly slam the book together in shock, startling Pascal as well, who leapt about half a foot into the air.

“Sorry.” Danny’s voice sounded sheepish. “But I didn’t just want to appear out of thin air.” He materialized next to her, a faint green hue of embarrassment covering his cheeks.

“It’s fine,” Rapunzel said, dumping the book on the desk as she turned all her attention on him. “How’s Eugene? What did you find out?”

“Two of the guards and Rosa are in cahoots,” Danny said, frowning slightly. “Heinz and Franz. They really have it in for Eugene, and bribed Rosa by telling her that she’d get a ticket out of here if she’d help. They’re hoping he’ll be…well…hanged.” He winced as he said the word.

Rapunzel’s heart turned cold at the thought, almost matching the ice cold temperature of the heart Eugene had given her a week after Danny and Sam had left them. That heart was currently stashed away under her pillow, a reminder of Eugene’s love for her. She’d waited eighteen years for him – even if she hadn’t known it at the time – and she wasn’t going to let three people take that away from her. Gothel had come close, and she wasn’t going to let it happen _again_.

“And the Stabbington brothers are still here, too,” Danny continued. “The guys that tried to stuff you in a sack? Yeah, they’re still here. Have you heard anything about them?”

“No,” Rapunzel said, suppressing a shudder as she thought about that night. It was a mixture of sweet and bitterness and an absolute hurricane of emotion. “Eugene didn’t say anything either.”

“He didn’t know,” Danny said, his mouth twisting. “But it’s coming back to haunt you. They’re going to positively identify Eugene as Flynn Rider.”

Rapunzel stiffened. “They can’t!’

“They _can_ ,” Danny disagreed. “I’ll try not to let it get to that point, but if it does, I can overshadow them so it doesn’t happen. From what I heard, they’re not the only two who’re willing to identify Eugene as Flynn. I might have to hang around for a while to make sure nothing else happens.”

“Overshadow?”

Danny seemed to grimace slightly at the word. “It’s not my favorite ability, but it does have its perks. It means I take over someone for a short while.” He shrugged lightly, not seeming to want to elaborate any further.

Rapunzel understood that, not having explained the special ability of her hair to anyone other than her parents either. They had agreed (and Eugene had, too, when he’d talked to her privately) that it was far too dangerous to make known to everyone. She hadn’t used it either, aside for that one time that Eugene had broken his ankle falling off one of the palace horses that had spooked after seeing a black cat. They’d been out in private, meaning that no one else had seen.

“What are we doing now?” Rapunzel asked. She knew that Max would do his best to get to her parents as fast as possible. But what if it wasn’t fast enough?

“I figured I’d go snoop around Heinz’s and Franz’s rooms,” Danny said, grinning wickedly. “There has to be _some_ evidence as to what they’re doing. I don’t know…it just doesn’t make sense that they’re going to all this trouble just because they have a grudge against Eugene.”

“Can’t you keep an eye on him?” Rapunzel fretted.

“I already am,” Danny said, and Rapunzel knew he was talking about his duplicate. “I got rid of the ones that weren’t watching Heinz, Franz, or Rosa. They’ll take care of anything that comes up, as they _are_ me.”

Pascal makes a rather dismissive chirping noise in response to Danny’s statement.

Danny gave a small huff. “Fine. Bragging aside, I _am_ keeping an eye on him. He’ll be fine, Rapunzel. I’ll make sure of it.”

Rapunzel nodded slowly. “Okay.” She clenched her hands into fists for a short moment. “I sent a letter to my parents with Max.”

Danny blinked, looking momentarily surprised. “That a good idea?”

“They’re my _parents_.” Rapunzel sent him a pleading look. “They trust me.”

A small smile flitted over Danny’s face. “Okay, that’s good. Hopefully they’ll get here soon then.”

“What are we doing?” Rapunzel asked.

“I’m going to check out their rooms,” Danny said, referring to the three people who wanted to hang Eugene. “You should stay here and pretend like everything’s fine. Or not,” he added when Rapunzel made a disgusted face.

“How can I pretend like everything’s fine when it’s not?” Rapunzel exclaimed. “They want to _hang_ Eugene just because he used to be a thief!”

“But they won’t, all right?” Danny looked at her seriously. “I promise that nothing will happen to him or you.” He let out a short huff of laughter. “And that means a lot coming from me. I don’t break promises.”

Rapunzel smiled. “Neither do I.”

Danny ducked his head, grinning broadly. “I know.” He became serious again. “Look, I’m going to take care of this now. The faster it’s over, the better. Do what you need, but be careful. It’s not like I can stop you.”

Arching an eyebrow, Rapunzel eyed Danny challengingly. Her response was a cheeky grin before Danny disappeared from view.

Yes, Danny could stop her if he wanted to. Her hair wasn’t an adequate defense against someone she couldn’t see and touch.

Still, it was heartwarming to know that he trusted her enough to do what she felt was right. Trust seemed to be short supply these days.

* * *

It took Danny a little more time than he expected to find the rooms he was looking for. And he only managed it in the end because he ended up stalking the three collaborators until Franz went into his room to retrieve a shirt before leaving. That left him hovering in the middle of the room, wondering where he should begin.

His duplicates could continue stalking Heinz and Rosa and let him know if there was anything to find there. The other duplicate that had been stalking Franz had been reassigned to Eugene.

Shaking his head slightly in recrimination, Danny refocused on his mission. He moved over to the desk on one side of the room, thinking that most people tended to hide private messages in desks. And if that didn’t work, he could always browse all the books – which weren’t many – for hidden sheets of paper.

‘ _Being Sherlock Holmes would be really useful now,_ ’ Danny thought absently, pulling out a drawer to take out a thick sheaf of what looked like letters. ‘ _Then again, it’s not like I need to pull together a whole crime scene and explain in detail what they did. I just need some proof…_ ’

He deliberately did not think about how he would get the king and queen to find this proof. He could probably give it to Rapunzel so she could pretend she’d looked for it, but that would probably land her in trouble, which he didn’t want.

Maybe they could pretend the evidence had just been lying around?

Then again, only the very stupid would fall for something like that. No one was _that_ stupid, not counting Dash since he hadn’t even realized Danny Fenton was Danny Phantom even when he was slowly turning back in front of his eyes. “Casual Friday”?

Snorting quietly in remembrance of that particularly disastrous day that had surprisingly turned out all right, Danny flicked idly through the papers, making sure to keep them in the same order.

He’d gone through half of them before something caught his eye and he turned back a few sheets. Looking down at the sheet of paper, he couldn’t stop a small frisson of excitement from running through him.

Setting down the stack of letters on the desk and organizing it so that he could put them back together afterward, he took out the letter that had caught his eye. Then he rooted through the rest more carefully, taking out several more that had the same handwriting.

Pausing for a moment to check that no one was going to come in, Danny quickly read through the letters. It was slightly confusing to follow, considering the handwriting was almost illegible at various points and he only had one side of the conversation to read, but he managed to get the gist of it.

Franz was – or had been – in contact with someone on the outside. Someone was very interested in getting Flynn Rider to pay for some slight that had occurred in the past. Danny wasn’t sure what – since it was never actually mentioned – but it was bad enough that this guy had a serious grudge against the ex-thief and really wanted him to pay. What was worse was that it looked like he didn’t care about what happened as long as it took place.

And Franz was going to go along with it. His co-conspirators apparently weren’t in contact with this mysterious grudge-holder because the man was saying something like “better make sure they’re trust—” and the rest was illegible, though Danny was sure it was supposed to be “trustworthy.” Using his brain and some guesswork from reading the other letters, Danny was able to deduce – or was it induce? He could never tell the difference – that Heinz and Rosa hadn’t been involved in this letter-writing campaign at all.

‘ _Now the question is: do I take these letters?_ ’ Danny pursed his lips, looking at the three letters he held that had the key to Eugene’s innocence. ‘ _I probably should, since there’s a chance they’ll be destroyed. Just lucky it hasn’t happened yet._ ’

Speaking of luck, Danny heard footsteps approach the room. Hurriedly stashing the letters he needed into his belt, he put together the rest, stuffed them in the drawer, and closed it just as Franz came back in, making a direct beeline to the desk where Danny was hovering, still invisible.

‘ _Please don’t look at the letters, please don’t look at the letters, please don’t – oh crud!_ ’

Franz had taken out the entire stack of letters, most of which were simple correspondence letters with his family and other people, and was rifling through them. It was another five seconds before his motions became increasingly frantic and his face alarmed.

It ended with a loud violent curse and the letters being flung onto the desk. Franz then stormed out, and it was all Danny could do to follow him. He wasn’t sure if he was going to see Heinz and Rosa, but it was better safe than sorry, since he didn’t want to waste his energy on another duplicate.

It was getting rather taxing keeping up the ones he already had.

Luckily – or unluckily depending on how one looked at it – Franz sought out Heinz. Danny locked his eyes with his duplicate before nodding and leaving to get to Rapunzel. Time would most likely be of the essence at this point.

Phasing through the floor of Rapunzel’s room, he was relieved to see that she hadn’t left. Turning visible, he said, “Rapunzel.”

She whirled around from her position by the window, eyes widening. “Danny!”

He couldn’t stop the smile as he waved the letters around. “I’ve got it.”

* * *

“This is so boring,” Eugene said to the not-so-empty air. He could feel amusement pouring off the invisible duplicate of Danny. “ _Borrriiing_ …”

There was a reprimanding rap against the bars as the guard glared at Eugene before turning back to face the front.

“Boring,” Eugene repeated just for emphasis, making a face at the guard’s back. “You’d think you could give your prisoners something to do other than just stare at the walls. ’Cause they’re not that interesting to look at.”

“Shut it, Rider.”

Ah! A reaction!

“Why are we back to Rider?” Eugene sprawled across the ground, heedless of its grungy nature. “I’m Eugene Fitzherbert. I don’t even like Fitzherbert, but I’d prefer that over Rider any day. Probably because I’m not Flynn Rider, but the guy is supposed to be a handsome devil, even with that atrocious nose.”

With a loud aggravated sigh, the guard turned to glare at Eugene. “Look, _Fitzherbert_ , no one actually believed that cock-and-bull story your friend spun. We’ve all seen you and your cohorts running around often enough that we know you’re Rider.”

“My cohorts,” Eugene repeated, waving a dismissive hand. “I’d like to say I don’t know who you’re talking about, but everyone’s seen the frog.”

“Chameleon.”

“Whatever.” Eugene turned his head to the side to squint up at the guard. “Aren’t you Eddie?”

“Edward,” Eddie muttered, a small flush covering his cheekbones as he again began to ignore Eugene.

“Eddie!” Eugene cheerfully insisted, grinning as Eddie’s frame stiffened. “How’s your sister doing?”

Eddie refused to respond, so Eugene gave it up, sensing he wouldn’t get anything more from him. Instead, he turned his mind to mulling over the conundrum he was currently in at the moment.

He couldn’t exactly talk to Danny, since Eddie was standing right out there. But he had to hope that he’d found something by now.

As long as it was quiet on that front, though, Eugene was operating under the principle that no news was good news. Besides, if things went foul, he highly suspected that Danny would just take him out of there without a second’s warning.

For the moment, he was just going to kick back, relax, and amuse himself with trying to come up with ways to annoy Maria. He hadn’t yet gotten around to dyeing all her clothes rainbow colors, but there was always time to do so.

* * *

Nothing happened for the rest of that day, or even that night. Given that Rapunzel had sent word to her parents, Danny had suggested they wait for them to come before doing anything. His duplicates were still keeping an eye on the criminals and so far none of them had done anything other than panic about the missing letters.

Heinz had been especially furious, lambasting Franz for not destroying them immediately. Rosa had been quiet, her face ashen and lips tightly pursed. Danny couldn’t feel sorry for her, though, given what she had done to Eugene and what her reasons were. He didn’t know why she wanted to leave the kingdom, but there had to be a better way to leave than framing an innocent man for a robbery he hadn’t committed.

Yet since none of them did anything – probably because it would be seen as highly suspicious if they up and left now – Danny just made sure to keep a watchful lookout on them. Since Heinz and Franz spent the night together plotting ways to get out if things went foul, he had reduced his number of duplicates to three – one for the two soldiers, one for Rosa, and one for Eugene. He was getting tired, but it was more manageable than keeping up four.

There had been nothing truly incriminating in Franz’s and Rosa’s rooms, but Rapunzel had insisted that one of the letters talked about two other conspirators, meaning it should be enough to catch all three of them if they played their cards right.

Despite his previous exhaustion back at home, Danny had enough energy to stay up the entire night. He didn’t know what would happen if he fell asleep, but he suspected that his duplicates would fizzle out. It was something he would have to experiment with in Amity Park; his parents would jump at the chance for more tests. Sometimes he swore they were more excited about their son being half-ghost than he was. Sure, it was cool and all, but the novelty had kind of worn off by the second day. When he was losing his pants and dropping beakers. And it had gotten worse by the second time Skulker had tried to claim his skin as a trophy.

So Danny wasn’t too excited about being half-ghost, but he had to admit it came with perks.

Like being bound to a movie universe that had a girl with magic hair and a chameleon that was more intelligent than most dogs.

Regardless of any latent hostility toward time ghosts and their cryptic ways, Danny figured this was enjoyable. In any case, he could see the stars much more clearly here than at home with all the light pollution. If he could, next time he’d bring a telescope, though he suspected Rapunzel might have one.

Still, the night was largely peaceful, and Danny spent it perched on one of the towers, watching the night sky gradually turn from dark to a rosy pink. He didn’t stay to watch the sunrise – though he dearly wanted to – instead slipping back into Rapunzel’s room, where she was already up and fretting. Pascal had turned a rather disgusting shade of yellow that resembled vomit, watching her from the bed frame.

“Don’t worry,” he reassured her, drifting by the ceiling as she nervously paced from wall to wall. “It’ll turn out fine. We’ve got the evidence.”

Rapunzel stopped in the middle of the room, looked up at him with wide green eyes, and shrugged once before resuming her pacing. Deciding to leave her to it, Danny just floated by the ceiling and watched, idly keeping part of an eye – or mind – on his weary duplicates. Now that he knew he could do that, it was a pretty nifty ability. Tucker would be so jealous once he found out.

They remained like that for a few more hours until Danny heard several people approach the room. Turning invisible, he headed over to the top of the door to perch on the wall just as the doors opened.

“Princess?” The man Danny recognized as Heinrich stepped in, bowing slightly.

Rapunzel turned to him. “Don’t call me—” Breaking off, she sighed, hands clenching momentarily into fists. “Yes. What is it?”

Heinrich didn’t blink at Rapunzel’s outburst, no doubt used to such things. “The king and queen have returned earlier than expected and have requested your presence.”

Brightening, Rapunzel gave a soft exclamation, darting over to her night table to retrieve the needed letters. “Thank you, Heinrich!”

“Merely doing my duty, Princess.”

Distracted as she was, Rapunzel didn’t say anything else, buzzing with barely suppressed energy as she headed to where her parents were. Danny followed along silently, keeping to the ceiling.

They ended up meeting with Rapunzel’s parents in a cozy sitting room. Danny caught sight of the king frowning down at a piece of paper that was probably the letter Rapunzel had sent. Both king and queen looked up when Rapunzel entered the room, brief but genuine smiles crossing their faces as they saw their daughter.

The door had barely closed behind Rapunzel when she burst out, “Thank you for coming!”

“Of course we came, Rapunzel.” Her mother smiled gently.

“Your letter was rather troubling,” the king added, brow smoothing out as he rolled the piece of paper up. “Can you explain what happened?”

There was a deep breath, and then Rapunzel began talking at a rapid fire speed that Danny was having trouble understanding. A look at the king and queen showed that their faces were rather blank with incomprehension.

“Rapunzel!” The queen laid a hand on Rapunzel’s shoulder, leading her to stop, breathing heavily. “Slow down, please. We’ll sort this out.”

“Okay.” Rapunzel took several more deep breaths, glancing down momentarily at Pascal for a boost of courage. “Yesterday,” she began relatively calmly, “Eugene was accused of stealing some jewelry. And…it was in his room. Rosa said she saw him go into your rooms, but Pascal swears that he was only walking through the hallways.” Pascal nodded at his point, chirping affirmatively.

“What was he doing in that area?” the king asked.

Rapunzel didn’t flinch as she responded, “Playing hide-and-seek with me. We haven’t spent much time together, and I just thought that we could play a few games. If I’d known what would happen…” She inhaled shakily, tightly clasping the letters in her hand. “They took him away, and I haven’t been able to see him. I asked Max to give you a letter, and then I…” Here she straightened, sticking her chin out stubbornly. “I snooped.”

“Snooped?”

“I snooped,” Rapunzel affirmed confidently. “I found this in one of the guard’s rooms; his name is Franz.” She handed the small bundle of letters to her father. “I also overheard him talking with Heinz and Rosa about framing Eugene.”

‘ _Okay, good…_ ’ She was following the plan just fine.

As the king began reading through the letters, a scowl slowly overcoming his features, the queen reached out to rub a soothing hand down Rapunzel’s arm.

“We’ll figure this out,” the queen promised quietly.

“He didn’t do it, Mama,” Rapunzel said, meeting her mother’s eyes. “I know he didn’t.”

“I believe you.” The queen sighed softly. “There have been some complaints about Eugene recently from the two guards you mentioned, but we never pursued it because he had always been with someone else at the time. Considering that, it is very likely that Eugene hasn’t done anything.”

“And if _was_ Eugene,” the king rumbled, looking up from the letters with a fiery gleam in his eyes, “then he did very poorly as a thief with a reputation such as Rider. Hiding the jewelry in his own room? I would have run the moment he had the valuables.”

Rapunzel’s eyes widened. “Father?”

“I do have some idea of how thieves think,” the king said, a rather mischievous smile crossing his face. “And this was a rather poorly executed heist, especially if he is supposed to be the infamous Flynn Rider.”

Flushing lightly, Rapunzel didn’t move as her father smiled knowingly at her.

“This will be sorted out, Rapunzel,” the king finally said, glancing back down at the evidence in his hands. “Let’s go.”

Invisible as he was, Danny did a triumphant fist pump when he heard what the king said. They weren’t out of the woods yet, but he could definitely see the light - not in a way that meant he’d be passing on.

Also doing a happy somersault in midair, Danny composed himself in time to follow the king, queen, and Rapunzel to wherever they were going. On the way, the king ordered for Heinz, Franz, and Rosa to be present for the meeting; Eugene wasn’t mentioned, but Danny wasn’t too worried about him considering his duplicate was still with him. Their destination turned out to be the throne room, which made sense for intimidation purposes.

The three criminals arrived a few minutes after, allowing for the three royals to make themselves comfortable. When they did enter, Rosa was the only one who looked remotely uncomfortable, hands twisting together in nervousness. Heinz and Franz looked remarkably placid.

Frederick came in seconds later, bearing proud. “Your Majesties,” he proclaimed, bowing deeply. “How may I serve you?”

“I heard the news,” the king said. “What evidence do you have against Eugene Fitzherbert?”

“The word of Rosa, who saw him enter your quarters, sir. We also found the missing valuables in his room.”

The king turned to his daughter. “Rapunzel? Why don’t you tell him what you told us?”

Rapunzel nodded once firmly. “Pascal was with him that entire morning. He would have known if Eugene had gone where he wasn’t supposed to. He was also playing hide-and-seek with me.”

Frederick’s eyebrows flew up. “Princess, he could have gone where he was forbidden from entering when supposedly searching for you—”

“Pascal would have known,” Rapunzel repeated. “You talk with Max all the time; Pascal is just as smart.”

“It’s just a chameleon!” Heinz protested, a wide forced smile on his face.

The king ignored him, addressing Rosa next. “How is your family doing, Rosa? Well?”

Rosa’s eyes flickered up. “E-exceedingly, sir.”

“If you wished to leave,” the king said gently, “you need only have asked. We do not keep anyone who does not wish to stay.”

Rosa blinked rapidly several times; Danny could see her throat ripple as she swallowed. “My earlier requests were denied, sir.”

“I see.” Moving on, the king looked at the two guilty guards next. “I have received quite a few complaints regarding Mr. Fitzherbert from you during his time here, most of which were untrue, and others which were mere misunderstandings. Is there anything you wish to say?”

“Yes.” Franz stepped slightly forward. “I am aware that your majesty was told by William Thames a month ago of Eugene Fitzherbert’s identity. I would disagree on account of having seen Fitzherbert - or Flynn Rider as he was formerly known - on numerous occasions fleeing the guard as we sought to accost him.”

“We have evidence on several accounts that Mr. Fitzherbert and Rider are not the same.”

“Artists can make mistakes,” Franz insisted. “I’ve seen Rider - Fitzherbert - too many times to be mistaken.”

“Captain?” The king looked at Frederick.

Danny stilled above them, barely breathing as he waited for his response.

“When I initially saw him,” Frederick began slowly, hands clasped behind his back, “I assumed he was Flynn Rider. The resemblance was remarkable. Yet…over the past month, there have been no indications that this is true. If he is Rider, he could be biding his time. But…” He paused, frowning slightly. “The Rider I know would never have kept his spoils in his room to be found. He is much too clever for that.”

‘ _If Eugene were here, I bet he’d fall over laughing to hear this._ ’

“We have some people who can attest that they have worked with him,” Franz quickly claimed.

“Criminals?” the king shrewdly asked. “Are you certain that they are telling the truth?”

“Absolutely, Your Majesty.”

The king hummed skeptically, but said, “Bring them here along with Mr. Fitzherbert. We shall put this matter to rest.”

 _Drat_. That meant Danny would have to overshadow the two brothers. To be safe, he had better do it at the same time. Shuddering slightly, he dreaded to think about what they must feel like. Vlad’s duplicate had felt foul enough the one time he’d overshadowed him; he’d been fortunate it hadn’t _actually_ been Vlad.

Floating down to Rapunzel, he leaned in to breathe into her ear, “I’ll take care of it.”

His response was a slight tilt of her head; Rapunzel’s shoulders momentarily slumped in relief before they straightened.

It was about twenty awkward and stiff minutes until the brothers and Eugene made their appearance, towed in by several guards. The brothers were both glaring at their ex-partner, while Eugene was doing his best to ignore them, his face showing relief when he caught sight of Rapunzel.

Taking a fortifying breath, Danny nodded to the duplicate that had been watching Eugene before diving into one of the brothers. There was a moment of disorientation before he blinked and could see the throne room through the brother’s eyes. Danny felt slightly sick with the rage he could feel roiling in the back of the man’s mind.

“Well,” the king said dryly, “I certainly can’t say it’s a pleasure to see your faces again. Why don’t we get to the point? Is this man Flynn Rider, and have you ever worked with him?”

Turning his head to peer at Eugene and seeing the other overshadowed brother do the same, Danny spent a moment pretending to scrutinize the fidgeting ex-thief from head to toe.

Finally, he gave a disgusted scoff and shook his head, trying his best to act like he thought a Stabbington brother would. “No. It isn’t him.”

“The nose isn’t right,” his duplicate added, turning back to the king.

“You said that he was definitely Flynn Rider,” Heinz proclaimed angrily, glaring at Danny.

Danny shrugged, feeling the weight of the chains on his wrists. “I thought he was, but his face is different. Looks alike from behind anyhow.”

“Rider’s got an ugly nose,” the duplicate said.

Eugene made a soft coughing noise that sounded a bit like an indignant protest he’d cut off just in time. Instead, he said to the guard on his right, “See, Eddie? I told you I’m Eugene Fitzherbert!”

“I’m Edward,” the hapless guard retorted before clamping his mouth shut and staring straight ahead.

“So this man is not Flynn Rider?” the king asked one more time.

“No,” Danny said simply. His duplicate confirmed with a head shake.

Franz’s eyes were narrowed now. “How do we know you’re not lying to get him off?”

Danny bared his teeth at the guard, enjoying how he flinched at the sight. “There’s honor among thieves. We don’t incriminate innocents, even if they look like annoying twits that sold us out.”

The king nodded once. “Then if the matter as to whether Mr. Fitzherbert is Flynn Rider has been settled, let us move on to why he was framed for the theft. I have here written proof of a correspondence between a person outside of Corona and a guard.” His steady eyes landed on Franz, who had stiffened. “The arrangement was for Flynn Rider’s death in return for a favor.”

Danny was then distracted by the guards surrounding him jerking him back and behind Eugene, who was now being freed from his handcuffs and glomped by an eager Rapunzel. His duplicate was by his side now, and they were both being cleared from the throne room.

He could understand why: if he was the king, he wouldn’t want two criminals listening in on how a pair of guards had been in cahoots with someone outside the kingdom and trying to get a person killed.

It was a pity he couldn’t hear what would happen next. If he left the Stabbington brothers now, there was a chance that something would go wrong.

Well, they could always fill him in later.

* * *

It was later that day when Danny met up with Rapunzel and Eugene inside her bedroom. Eugene looked rather shifty upon entering, which had Danny thinking that he probably still wasn’t supposed to be here.

“It worked!” was the first thing Rapunzel said, beaming broadly. “Thank you, Danny!”

Danny smiled, shrugging lightly. He was back in his human form and sitting on a nice squashy chair by the windows. “No prob, Rapunzel.”

“I thought I was a goner there for a moment,” Eugene admitted, grinning rather sheepishly. “Thanks for saving my skin back there.”

“I hate bullies,” Danny said, stretching his arms up and interlinking his fingers behind his head. “And those brothers and the guards were bullies. I’m not sure what they have against you, Eugene, but they kind of hated you.”

Eugene grimaced. “I’m not sure either, but it wasn’t ‘kind of’. They _really_ hated me.”

“What’s going to happen to Rosa?” Danny asked.

“She’s been let go,” Rapunzel said, letting Pascal run down her arm and onto the bed. “Father is going to give her a ride out of Corona, but after that she can go where she wants.”

Danny made a face. “I guess it’s what she wanted, but it still seems kind of cruel to just dump her outside the kingdom.”

“She’ll be all right,” Eugene said. “There’re always people willing to help others out.”

“Good—” The rest of what Danny wanted to say was cut off by a jaw cracking yawn. “Ah, sorry.” He rubbed his eyes with a hand. “I haven’t slept in like two days. I’m completely wiped.”

“You can take my room,” Eugene suggested. “There’s a really comfy couch in there.”

“You know,” Danny said, smiling tiredly, “I might just take you up on that offer. See you guys later?”

“Yes!” Rapunzel beamed, smiling giddily as she hugged Eugene’s arm, earning a soft smile from the man.

“Sleep tight,” Eugene told Danny. “See you later. Or not?” He raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Even if I go back home,” Danny said, interpreting his unasked question, “I’ll come here again. Depends on when, but I don’t think it’ll be very long.”

“Great. Then go and sleep before you pass out on the chair.”

Danny fired off a mock salute and waved Pascal goodbye before turning invisible and making his way through the castle to where he could remember Eugene’s room had been. When he arrived, the first thing he did was test the bounciness of the couch, which was _indeed_ very comfy. It was probably comfier than his own bed back home, which was saying something.

Sighing in relief, Danny stretched out on it, closing his eyes. He was asleep within seconds, the last thought on his mind being that maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing to be guardian of two worlds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an ongoing WIP that will most likely never be "finished" exactly because it's just going to consist of mini-arcs of Danny's adventures in the _Tangled_ universe. So while each arc is going to be set chronologically, they'll be largely self-contained.


End file.
